


After The Fall

by RayneSummer



Series: Merlin - Episode Tags [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Episode: s04e01-02 The Darkest Hour, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Originally posted in Just Come Home, but i wrote the rest at 2am in bed and its actually pretty good now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:41:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24690970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RayneSummer/pseuds/RayneSummer
Summary: Gaius and Lancelot look after Merlin after he collapses at the Samhain Feast, both aware it may well be more than exhaustion as most of the others will think...
Relationships: Gaius & Merlin (Merlin), Lancelot & Merlin (Merlin)
Series: Merlin - Episode Tags [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1794352
Comments: 5
Kudos: 179





	After The Fall

At first, when Merlin fell, Gaius wasn't overly afraid. 

The boy worked himself hard at the best of times, and now, with this feast they'd been preparing for days or even weeks, and Arthur taking on more and more responsibilities from his unfit to rule father, which meant Merlin in turn had to take on more work to keep up with the prince. Arthur also used Merlin to help, or even completely, write speeches and the like - it was probable that tonight's Samhain words had comes from the servant's hand rather than the prince's.

So, all in all, it wasn't that surprising if the boy was exhausted. Although undoubtedly collapsing on a cold stone floor was not ideal, it wasn't the worst of situations. There was unlikely any poison involved, for one, since Merlin had been serving and not drinking. So that was reassuring

Alarmed but not supremely worried, Gaius quickly but calmly put his cup down and stepped out from his chair, walking swiftly to Merlin's side. Lancelot was already there, having rushed over in not quite such a controlled manner. He looked up as Gaius crouched beside the boy, a concerned frown already forming on his face at the knight's frankly almost terrified expression.

He barely had to touch Merlin's skin to feel the unnatural coldness. And that was when the fear started.

Gaius quickly touched the back of his fingers to Merlin's forehead anyway, confirming the sheer frozen nature of him. He felt like a corpse, but his skin wasn't frozen hard; it yielded to slight pressure. Like someone newly dead, whose body had cooled after the life left, but not yet hardened into rigour mortis. And Gaius had seen that event, many times.

Now he was afraid. Mind racing, he focused on Merin's pale face, trembling lips almost tinged blue with ice, as he gently took the boy's wrist to calm himself, first and formost, that this wasn't a corpse like it appeared. Thankfully, though a little faint, his pulse was steady, and Gaius breathed out as he rubbed his thumb over the back of Merlin's hand and just as gently placed it down before looking up at Lancelot, who was alternating between staring form Gaius to Merlin, eyes wide, waiting for instruction.

"We need to take him to his room," Gaius said quietly, and Lancelot nodded, immediately hoisting Merlin in his arms and hurrying out the room by a side door. Gaius paused long enough to straighten and glance at Arthur with what he hoped wasn't too worried of an expression. The prince looked a cross between slightly irritated and mildly concerned, possibly having the same initial idea of simple exhaustion as the physician had. Gaius gave him a short nod to indicate that Merlin would be taken care of, then quickly followed in Lancelot's footsteps.

* * *

They didn't speak as they walked, both men concerned about the state of their close... Friend? Brother? Son? The latter for Gaius, certainly. He had long since thought that, since this boy came literally tumbling into his life and changed it from quiet to alive, moreso than it had been in years. Despite all the trouble that came with harbouring a warlock in a place that would kill him in a second, Gaius knew that he wouldn't trade it for the world.

They reached the court physician chambers and Lancelot walked straight through the main room, heading for Merlin's. Gaius joined him on the other side of the bed as Lancelot gently lay the boy down, reaching out to carefully support his head to the pillow. Then, finally, the silence broke.

"What happened?" Lancelot asked the question that had been plauging him since Merlin had gone down. He was of course, the only other one who knew about the magic, so unlike the knights, had assumed this was more dangerous than simple exhaustion.

Gaius ghosted his fingers over Merlin's hand that laid across his chest. The shivering was more pronounced now he was still; they could hear the tremble as the warlock exhaled through pale lips.

"I don't know."

Honesty wasnt always used when it came to Merlin, in truth, but this time Gaius felt lost and after all, there was little that needed to be hidden from the loyal knight that knew.

Lancelot wasnt particularly fond of that answer, and he eyed Merlin with mounting concern before looking back up at the physician. "Will he be alright?"

The older man didn't reply in such a way. Finally glancing up from studying his ward's face, he instead said, "I'll need hawthorn to improve the blood flow. And blankets." Already moving, Lancelot paused at the door to Merlin's room for Gaius to add, with an unnatural for him sense of urgency, "Lots of blankets."

With the knight gone, Gaius turned his full attention back on his ward. He put a hand on the boy's forehead, his own creased in worry. It seemed like Merlin was in deep unconsciousness, judging by the lack of movement beneath eyelids, and that he did not stir while being carried, but rousing him was worth a try.

"Merlin?" Gaius moved his hand to the boy's cold cheek in an attempt to get him to focus. "Merlin, can you hear me? Merlin?"

There was no reaction but the physician had not expected one. Nevertheless, he drew back in slight defeat at the same time as Lancelor appeared in the room again, arms laden with several blankets.

"This was all I could find," he said, slightly breathless from rushing around. Gaius nodded his thanks and took one the blankets from the knight's arms, shaking it out and quickly placing it over Merlin before pausing.

"Wait. We should make him more comfortable. There's no telling when he'll come round." 

Lancelot hastily dropped the blankets at the end of the bed as Gaius pulled back the one he'd already spread. Together they carefully worked Merlin's arms out of his jacket and Gaius gently untied the boy's neckerchief, putting the garments to one side. Knowing that would briefly make him colder, Gaius quickly covered him with the settled blanket again before gesturing for Lancelot to retrieve the others.

They put the blankets over Merlin's prone form up to his chin, Gaius tenderly tucking them in to provide maximum warmth. Once that was done, he looked up at the knight.

"Did you find the hawthorn?" It didn't appear to be in his grasp but it was worth asking.

Lancelot shook his head, looking almost devastated he had let down his friend. "I don't know where it is," he muttered, meeting Gaius' eyes with an apology.

The physician straightened up from leaning over the bed, somewhat glad to be needing to do something other than watching Merlin shiver and wonder how serious the situation actually was.

"It's alright; I'll fetch it." He gave Lancelot a quick pat on the arm before heading to the main chamber, because the knight looked as though not finding the medicine would single handedly cause Merlin's death and it would all be his fault. Which wasn't the case, either of the points.

A little calmer surrounded by the familiar workshop, Gaius quickly located the hawthorn he was looking for - a small bottle of a tincture from the leaves. This specific solution had been thicken and was designed to be absorbed through tissue. It would be easier than making up a pot of tea with the hawthorn and trying to make Merlin drink it, especially since it did not look like the warlock would rouse for such a thing.

Returning to his ward's bedside, Gaius absently shook the bottle to loosen the mixture slightly before opening it and taking some out with the applicator he had picked up. Lancelot watched, a little bemused, as he carefully slipped the applicator into Merlin's mouth to paint the tincture on his tongue where it could be absorbed, briefly explaining as much to the knight while doing said treatment.

After a couple of applications, Gaius replaced the lid of the bottle and leaned back slightly, waiting for see if Merlin would react at all in his current state.

The two of them watched with apprehension, but after a minute it was clear nothing would happen. Gaius put the medicine on the bedside table and reached out to gently take the boy's thin wrist again, absently rubbing his thumb over the back of Merlin's hand as took his pulse.

Hawthorn was meant to improve blood flow, so Gaius had been hoping it would strengthen the heartbeat and so begin to warm the body up as a result.

He focused on Merlin's face again while he considered the rate. It was slow but steady, and perhaps a little stronger than before. Merlin had also stopped the shivering that trembled his lips when they'd first seen him like this. Little things, but they were reassuring.

Gaius gently placed the boys hand back down atop his chest, above the blankets so he could easily access it to check. Then, after a pause, repositioned the arm under the blankets and ensured they were drawn up under Merlin's chin, keeping as much warmth in as possible. Then, he rested a hand on the boy's forehead, and that was definitely slightly warmer than it had been.

"Well?" Lancelot's voice was quiet, anxious, as Gaius withdrew his hand and gave rhe knight a wane smile. 

"The blankets and hawthorn are doing their job." He sighed in relief, looking back at Merlin with a fond gaze, unnecessarily smoothing down the top blanket. "His pulse and breathing are steady and he is warming up, if quite slowly."

Lancelot nodded, expression clearing just slightly. "What do you think happened?" He asked, troubled.

Gaius motioned for them to leave the room - Merlin was out of danger and now needed to rest, and them constantly talking over him wouldn't help, even if it didn't wake him. Leaving the door open, Gaius led Lancelot into the main chamber before addressing him.

"I'm not sure," he began honestly. "Midnight on samhain is historically important, but..." He trailed off. There wasn't really any way of knowing what exactly had happened. Despite occasional exhaustion, Merlin didn't actually go around passing out at events, or indeed anywhere. Gaius often suspected the boy's magic worked similar to adrenaline sometimes, keeping him on his feet even if he should have rightly collapsed from exherting himself.

"Is it... magical?" Lancelot hesitated, glancing at the closed door to the chambers just in case someone were to hear.

Gaius sighed. "I don't know," he repeated from earlier. "Hopefully Merlin will be able to tell me when he comes round."

Still looking doubtful, the knight nodded and glanced up the steps where the warlock lay silently and still. He was reluctant to leave, but knew that Merlin wasn't in any current danger, and would be fine with Gaius watching over him as always. He should be more fine than usual, given his guardian was also a physician and for once he wasn't hiding an illness or injury like he was wont to do. Out of habit or unwillingness to be paid attention to, who knew, but it was common knowledge. Which thankful meant at least someone noticed when the boy wasn't quite himself.

"Should I talk to Arthur?" Lancelot was nothing if not loyal, to prince as well as servant, but he thought he should ask in case he was advised otherwise. Gaius looked undecided 

"If he asks," the older man ventured after a moment, "just let him know Merlin will be fine and will probably show up in the morning. Stubborn boy," he added, quieter, but it was fond.

Lancelot smiled slightly for the first time since the event had started. "Alright." He gave one last glance to his friend's room and nodded to Gaius. "I'll leave you to it then. Let me know if... well, just. Let me know."

If he needs anything. If he gets worse. If he gets better. Lancelot just wanted to know about any change.

Gaius picked up on the knight's worry and gave him a kind smile. "Of course." He called out as Lancelot walked to the door. "Thank you." The knight looked back, questioning. "You're a loyal friend to Merlin. I appreciate it."

No doubt the man was referring to more than carrying the warlock to bed after collapsing. Lancelot just waved, knowing that he was special, to know about Merlin's magic and be able to share in that amazement, and left the two to their home, knowing they were safe.

* * *

It was gone midnight and Gaius knew he should get some sleep. So after another check on Merlin, the physician retired himself to bed.

But as ever, when someone was inherently wrong, sleep would not come. He tossed and turned through the night, so when light filtered through the window, he had managed to get a few hours of rest only.

However, he was accustom to sitting up with patients all night, or being woken by Merlin calling out, in the grips of the nightmare that needed comforting, even if the boy always insisted it was fine after he woke, soaked in sweat, eyes wet with unshed tears and wide as they took in his mentor sitting on the edge of his bed, trying to soothe him.

Gaius sighed. That stubborn boy.

Aware he wouldn't be getting any more sleep with Merlin on his mind, he wearily rose from his bed and immediately went to check on said ward. There had been no physical change, but a quick check over confirmed the treatment had done a hell of a lot of good - Merlin's skin and temperature were far from ice now. It still wasn't completely ideal yet, so Gaius made sure the blankets remained tucked it as he withdrew his hand from the boy's forehead.

Satisfied, Gaius returned to the main chambers and began usual work on any day as the early dawn light slowly lit the room.

And when he heard the soft sound of steps on stairs behind him, he allowed himself a silent sigh of relief before turning to face the slightly shaking warlock wrapped in the thickest blanket, and gently put his hands on the boy's shoulders and guided him over to a bench, sitting him down. And at the look on the young face, Gaius decided ideas like warming or strengthening medicine could wait, and instead sat right next to the boy and asked softly, "what happened?" And waited for him to speak.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote 3/4 of this in bed at 2am (which is now, it's 2.25am and I just finished a bit ago) and it turned out actually pretty decent and I've been meaning to write this as a separate story for ages so. Here it is.


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